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Education and Inspections Bill

I have no problem with democracy, but the requirements amount to a fig leaf for the Government. They want to reassure their supporters that there is no need to worry, as comparatively few schools will go down that route. Already, 63 per cent. of schools are community based. It is possible that another 100, 200, 300 or even 500 schools will choose to become one of the new foundation schools, but what difference will that make, when there are more than 20,000 schools in this country? That is the reality. I am not afraid of democracy, but I want the debate to be honest. So far this afternoon, the debate in this Chamber has not been honest.